Electric bipolar dilator.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEA CHARLES L Mosnnaoi CHATHAM, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC B Po I ARv D n A-To R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,409, dated October 9, 1900. Application filed August 25, 1900. b'erial No. 28,024. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. MosHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chatham, county of Columbia, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Bipolar Dilators, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has for its object to provide means for the application of electric. currents to the canals or discharge-passages of the body in such manner that the current will pass through and act upon only such parts as require electric treatment. n

To this end the invention contemplates providing expanding surgical instruments, such as are known as dilators -as, for instance, rectal dilators-With bipolar insulated-plates or poles adapted to be placed in connection with the terminals of a battery or other source of electrical supply, so that the completion l of the circuit is had through the portion or portions of the Wall of the canal from the one pole orset of poles to the other pole or set of other poles which are carried by the blades or valves of the dilator, thus obtaining the full benefit of the electric current at the parts under treatment,` which parts may be distended as desired during such electrical treatment by the expansion of the dilator. A

Y The plates or poles applied to the blades or valves of the dilators according to my invention will be preferably located near their ends or so far from the bases of the blades or valves as not to contact with the sphinctermuscles. The blades or valves may be made solely of insulating material, with the contact.

plates or poles embedded therein, or they may be made of metal, the contact plates or poles being suitably insulated and connected thereto, or the blades or valves may be made of metal having insulated pivotal connections and having their base portions or such parts as may lie within the sphincter-muscles properly protected by a suitable insulation. In a dilator having two blades or valves each blade will constitute `or be provided with a pole forming tlie terminal of a battery. In dilators having threeA or more blades two blades only may constitute or be provided with apole, or the two terminals of the battery may be placed in multiple connection with two or more blades.

To describe my invention more particular-'ly, I will now refer to the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure l represents in side elevation a twobladed or bivalve rectal dilator provided with my electrical bipolar improvement. Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. l, showing one oi' the blades in central section and the other blade in section through the electrical connection. Fig. 3 is an end View looking toward the outer or hinged end of the instrument. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the portions o f the blade of a bivalve dilator at Which the .electrical contact-poles "are located, and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a dilator having four blades.

As here shown my invention is applied to a rectal dilator, which, in so far as the hinged connection a and separating-screw b isconce1-ned, isV of ordinary construction, and it will beunderstood that any of the existing or suitableI means for the separation of the blades of a multibladed dilator may be employed in actuatingthe blades shown at Fig.

5. The blades or valves c c are shown in the Adrawings as composed of hard rubberor other suitable insulating material suitably secured to the Shanks d d of the metallic hinged portion of the instrument by being molded thereon or otherwise connected thereto. In the sides of and at or near the inner endsofthe blades c c are embedded the electrical contact plates or'poles c c in such manner that their outer surfaces will be about flush with the surfaces of the blades,so that perfect contact of these poles with the surface or wall of the part being treated will befinsured. These poles e c are by the Wires f f connected to the binding-posts g g,attached to the outer ends of the blades, and by means of which connections may be made to an electric battery or other source of electric supply, sothat each one ofthe poles e e will constitute a terminal of such battery or source of electrical supply, to indicate which these poles are respectively marked and i As before indicated, it will be readily seen IOC that bythe use of an instrument of the character shown the full energy of the electrical current and thereby increased beneficial effect will be had at the, exact parts it is desired to treat, as the current will pass from one pole e to the other through such part-s of the canal as completes the electric circuit or circuits, and such electrical action may be had while said canal is distended more or less, as desirable, by the spreading apart of the blades of the instrument.

It will be noted that the application of electric current is considered undesirable to the sphincter-muscles through which the instrument is passed. So the poles c c will in all cases be so located on the blades as to be beyond the sphincter-muscles when the instrument is in the operative position, and the base portions of the blades lying within the sphincter-muscles will be suitably insulated from any of the electrical connections whatever material the blades may be composed of or whatever forni the instruments provided with my improvement may take.

In multi bladed dilators the electric contactpoles may be coupled or connected up to the battery in any desired manner. The View Fig. 5 gives the transverse section of the blades of a four-bladed instrument, showing one form in which the electrical connections may be made. Each pair of the poles 71, h of opposite blades 'zi t' and the poles of the opposite blades 7c k, marked, respectively, -land constitute' the terminals of one of the two battery-poles.

The electric contact plates or poles and all insulated parts, in whatever forni they may be, will be so closely and intimately attached to the blades as to avoid all openings or crevices, so that instruments may be as aseptic as possible.

Of course it will be understood that the contact-poles carried by the blades may be made in two or more parts, so as to cause the current to pass to or from two or more parts of the blades. Such modification and other modifications of construction here suggested it is thought unnecessary to illustrate.

I claim as my inventionl. A rectal or other dilai or the expandingblades of which are provided with contact plates or poles adapted to be included in an elect-ric circuit and constitute the terminals of a source of electrical supply.

2. A rectal or other dilator the expandingblades of which are insulated at their base portions and have contact-poles at or near their ends separat ely constil uting the terminals of a source of electrical supply.

3. A rectal or other dilator having electric contact plates or poles near the inner ends of the eXpanding-l'ilades and moans for connecting said contact plates or poles toa source of electrical supply to constitute the terminals thereof.

4. In a bipolar surgical instrument, two or more dilating-blades, insulated electric contact plates or poles on the blades and means for connecting two or more of the insulated lates 0r poles tothe terminals of the source of electrical supply.

5. A rectal or other dilater having electric contact plates or poles near the ends of the expanding-blades, the base portions of the blades being insulated to avoid electrical contact with the sphincter-muscles, and means for connecting said contact plates or poles to a source of electrical supply to constitute the terminal thereof.

6. In a rectal or other dilator, blades formed of insulating material, hinged con nections for the blades, means for forcing the blades apart, electric contact plates or poles carried by the blades, and means for connecting said plates or poles to the terminals of a source of electrical supply.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22d day of August, 1900.

CI-IAS. L. MOSHER.

In presence of- CoRNELIUs SHUFELT, CHARLES TREMAIN. 

